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New padded cap designed to give MLB pitchers more protection

By Alexandria ValdezThe Denver Post

Posted:
07/17/2014 10:50:00 PM MDT

Padres reliever Alex Torres, pitching against the Rockies at Coors Field on July 8, was the first player to wear a new padded cap during an MLB game this year. Torres' cap provides front protection from a batted ball up to 90 mph. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb was struck in the head by a line drive while playing against the Kansas City Royals last summer. Alex Torres, who replaced Cobb, said his legs were shaking when he arrived at the Tropicana Field mound. He had heard the sound of Cobb being hit while in the bullpen.

So this season, when Major League Baseball introduced a new padded hat, Torres wanted it. He was the first player to wear it in a game, on June 21.

"The hat is not a joke," said Torres, now pitching for the San Diego Padres. "I'm just trying to protect myself to be in this game for 10 to 15 years."

The new hat — with isoBLOX padding — is baseball's latest effort to protect pitchers.

MLB approved the isoBLOX hat, manufactured by the Pinwrest Development Group, in January. CEO Bruce Foster said his company saw the problems baseball had with protecting pitchers and thought isoBLOX was the answer.

MLB found that when a line drive travels back to the pitcher's mound, the ball typically is going 83 mph. A hat should offer protection for an impact at least at that speed, MLB said. The isoBLOX hat provides protection for front impacts up to 90 mph and side impacts up to 85 mph.

The hat doesn't prevent a concussion, but Foster said it can help protect a player from severe traumatic brain injuries such as a skull fracture and brain hemorrhaging. Dr. Tod Sweeney, with Sports and Family Medicine of Colorado, said the temporal region is a vulnerable area because it contains major blood vessels. If a player is struck in the temporal area, an artery could rupture, Sweeney said.

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When the new hat's padding is hit, it absorbs and disperses energy to diffuse the impact. A typical cap weighs 5 ounces, and the isoBLOX padding adds 7 ounces. The padding is sewn into MLB caps, making them a little bigger.

Foster, said his company has custom fit and delivered more than 60 hats to major-league pitchers. Torres is the only player to wear the hat in a game, but Foster said many pitchers have practiced in it.

The biggest obstacle might be players shying away from the cap because of how it looks.

"Everyone wants to look good out there," said Regis Jesuit High School incoming junior pitcher Bo Weiss, son of Rockies manager Walt Weiss. "Some kids might be turned away because of that."

If Bo Weiss wore the cap, he said it wouldn't be a distraction for him. Given a choice, we would rather wear a regular cap because that is what he is accustomed to using.

Foster said his company continuously works on modifying the new cap. It has worked on slimming it down and fixing other issues. Torres' cap was not the initial version; a newer model will be available in four to six weeks.

An isoBLOX youth skull cap also was released at the end of May. It is sold at Dick's Sporting Goods for $59.99, comes in three sizes and fits under an adjustable ballcap.

Former major-league pitcher Mark Holzemer, a Littleton native, is the president of Slammers Baseball, an indoor training facility in the Denver area. The facility has club teams, and Holzemer said he hasn't seen anyone wearing the padded caps at games this summer.

Holzemer said he understands the idea behind the new hat, but he thinks the product needs to be tweaked.

"If I was playing now, I wouldn't wear it," Holzemer said. "I played professionally for 15 years and never got hit in the head. I want to be comfortable."

Colorado high schools and Little League teams don't require pitchers to wear protective caps. Colorado High School Activities Association assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said there is a rule that allows high school pitchers to wear protective gear if they prefer to use it. Pitchers also could wear a batting helmet or catcher's helmet.

ThunderRidge High School pitcher Jake Eisler said the padded cap is a good idea.

"I'd probably use it, but I've never been hit in the head," Eisler said. "I'm sure that would change if I got hit in the head."

The choice is up to the parents and players in Little League. North Boulder Little League equipment manager Jeff Moore said he wouldn't have an issue recommending the caps next year to parents.

Moore has two sons who play baseball.

"Anything that can keep kids safe is embraced," Moore said. "Youth sports is ripe for the parents trying to give their kids every edge. I think it's a good thing. Head injuries are the scariest of any sports injuries that you have."

Heads up!

Recent incidents when a major-league pitcher was hit during a game by a batted ball include:

March 19, 2014: Cincinnati flamethrower Aroldis Chapman was hit in the face during a spring training game against Kansas City. Staples had to be placed in his head, and he didn't make his first regular-season appearance for the Reds until May 11.

May 7, 2013: Toronto's J.A. Happ was struck in the head during the second inning in a game against Tampa Bay. He suffered a head contusion and a laceration to his ear.

Sept. 5, 2012: Oakland's Brandon McCarthy was hit by a line drive. He was able to walk off the field, but a year later he suffered a seizure when he was at dinner with his wife. Doctors linked it to his injury.

Aug. 5, 2011: The Rockies' Juan Nicasio was hit in the head by a line drive in a game against Washington at Coors Field. He suffered a broken neck and a fractured skull.

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